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Gingrich: GOP should threaten government shutdown over debt ceiling

NEWT GINGRICH: Let me ask you this. And I appreciate E.J.’s support here. But I want to make a point that probably he may not be as enthusiastic about. They have two vehicles. They have a continuing resolution, which is at the end of March, and they have the sequester bill.
Now, these are legitimate government spending bills. The debt ceiling is different because it triggers all of these international financial problems and triggers the credit of the United States. They don’t have to say, “We’re going to be wimps.” I’ve helped closed the government twice. It actually worked. Bill Clinton came in and said, “The era of big government’s over,” after two closings. Not before.

DAVID GREGORY: You also wrote in your memoir that you regretted it from the point of view, you relied too much on the enthusiasm of the activists and didn’t factor in the disdain of the American people.

NEWT GINGRICH: But, no, we got reelected for the first time since 1928. And we would argue we would never have gotten to a balanced budget and we would have never have gotten welfare reform without that fight. So I think if the Congressional Republicans want to say, “You’re going to have a really hard time with continuing resolution,” that’s perfectly legitimate. And it’s a exactly the right grounds. And then take the president’s speech from yesterday in which he said, “Once you have spent it, you have an obligation.” And that’s when I say, “Terrific. We agree.”